


Breaking All the Rules (DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE)

by FelixLovesPrinces



Category: Legend Series - Marie Lu
Genre: (for now) - Freeform, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Attempted Murder, Cheating, Crying, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Slow Burn, character with GAD, implied Drinking to Cope, so much crying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelixLovesPrinces/pseuds/FelixLovesPrinces
Summary: What happened that night at the hospital? What made Thomas hesitate?Or, more importantly;how are Thomas and Metias going to flee from the Republic now that they're both wanted?
Relationships: Thomas Bryant/Metias Iparis
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	1. THE HOSPITAL

Something was off about this night, Thomas knew it. The jeeps had just arrived at the hospital. This was supposed to be a regular check-up, nothing too special. Nothing dangerous was supposed to happen today. But then why did he have this feeling of dread? He had this odd chest pain as if some sort of void was eating him up from the inside. All that it would leave is the husk- the Republic’s obedient server.   
Before Thomas could get too distracted with his dark thoughts, he glanced at Metias, who was standing at the entrance of the hospital. He seemed to be exchanging a few words with a nurse. _‘Nothing out of the ordinary’_ , Thomas reminded himself. 

“Bryant.”   
Thomas heard a voice come from his earpiece. It belonged to Commander Jameson. Great, just what he needed to help him calm down. Before whispering a quick reply, he hid behind one of the jeeps. “Hello, Commander.”   
“It has to be done tonight.”   
Thomas tensed up, biting his lip in worry. He stayed silent.  
She continued; “If we don’t act now, your captain may plan an act of treason against the Republic, or even against the Elector. I’m giving you a direct order, Lieutenant Bryant. Find a way to get Captain Iparis to a private spot tonight. I don’t care how you do it.”

There it was. Thomas had a reason to feel weird after all. He has dreaded receiving this call ever since he learned about Metias’ hacking into deceased civilian’s databases. The Republic can’t stand people snooping around - no wonder they want to get rid of him.   
Thomas rested his head against the massive jeep behind him. This was a lot to take in. _“I don’t care how you do it,”_ Jameson’s words kept repeating themselves in his head. Over and over. She doesn’t even care. Jameson taught Metias so much. She has been through what felt like so much with him. And she doesn’t care how he dies.  
Maybe Thomas isn’t supposed to care either. Maybe he’s supposed to be made out of stone; without any emotion, let alone affection for his captain. A good lieutenant would follow his commander’s orders, regardless of how it affected him personally. “Yes, Commander,” Thomas whispered, barely being able to keep his voice from breaking. It took him every inch of self-control to not completely lose it right now. He had to focus. 

“Good.” Jamesson said, “Tell me when you’re ready --- I’ll send in separate orders to the rest of your patrol to be at a different location during that time. Make it quick and clean.”   
Thomas glanced around, at the rest of his patrol. At least they won’t have to be there. What would they even think of him? Would they think it’s immoral? Or would they be glad that Metias is finally gone, the Republic safer?  
Thomas began shaking. This was wrong- this was so wrong. He grew up with Metias. He learned everything he knew from Metias. If his best friend was gone, who would he even have left? June? Thomas nearly began crying as he realised that June would only serve as a reminder of Metias, anyway. “Commander-.” he begged, “Is there no other way? Metias wouldn’t actually betray the Republic, right?” He stammered on, hoping to somehow make his case. The sheer thought of having Metias’ blood on his hands - he couldn’t stand it.

“If you don’t do it, I will. Believe me, I will be messier about it--and no one’s going to be happy that way. Understood?” Jamesson sounded stern. Her threat certainly did something to Thomas.   
He stepped away from behind the jeep to take another look at Metias. The captain was still chatting with the nurse. Thomas stood far away - but he could sense this feeling of contentment from Metias. He was so comfortable and in his element doing this. Was he really so prejudiced against the Republic?   
For a moment Thomas imagined Metias actually standing up against the Elector - spreading this ‘proof’ he hacked out of the databases amongst the poor sectors. He would start so many riots, possibly form a huge threat.  
Thomas then imagined Jameson getting her hands on Metias - cruel Jameson. She would have absolutely no mercy for him. For how long would she let Metias bleed? How much would he have to suffer? Thomas can’t do that to him. Not following Jameson’s order right now, would be like inflicting that torture upon Metias himself. “Understood, Commander,” he muttered, still not taking his eyes off of his friend. 

“You can do it, Bryant.” Jameson’s encouragement filled Thomas with nothing but dread. “And if you’re successful, consider yourself promoted to captain.” The call cut off before Thomas could do or say anything else.

Thomas closed his eyes. _‘Turn off all emotion’_ , he told himself. As he did, he could sense the void inside of him devouring another chunk of him - of his core being. _‘Just do what the commander told you.’_ he repeated.  
He opened his eyes and marched towards the entrance of the hospital in a straight line. Maybe he was walking too direct? Was it obvious what he was planning? Where is all this insecurity coming from all the sudden? Once Thomas arrived by Metias’ side, he ended up feeling more confused and flustered than determined. After all, there was a wall between them, right? There always seemed to be something dividing them, perhaps that would make this whole ordeal easier.

Metias nodded at the nurse he was chatting with as he watched her leave, and smiled widely at Thomas once he saw he had approached him. “Another long night, eh? I swear, if we’re stuck here until dawn again, I’ll whine to Commander Jameson like there’s no tomorrow.” He joked, yet Thomas didn’t find it funny at all. Nothing about this was funny - this was a mess, a terrible mess.   
Somehow, Thomas forced himself to laugh along, “Let’s hope for an uneventful night, then.” Why did that lie feel so smooth? Why was this so easy? This should be the hardest thing he’s ever done -- and yet. Perhaps the void has already consumed so much of Thomas, that he was barely even still there?   
“Yes, let’s hope for that,” Metias said, pulling Thomas out of his thoughts. “At least I have you for company.”  
“Likewise,” Thomas replied. Of course, he was glad he had Metias’ company - even if he knew that this would be the last time. Though Thomas couldn’t bring himself to look at Metias, he could feel his friend’s gaze linger on him for a moment. Just a beat too long - then Metias glanced away. 

There were a couple of minutes of peaceful silence. Nothing happened, save for Thomas’ thoughts flying around in his head like they were at war with each other. Which isn’t even that far from the truth. Moments later, a ragged slum-sector boy dragged himself up to the entrance and stopped to talk to a nurse. He looked like a mess - mud, dirt, and blood smeared across his face. Thomas visibly flinched as he saw him. Stuff like this doesn’t usually make him squeamish like this - but the context of the night seemed to make everything feel different. 

From a distance, Thomas could hear the boy ask the nurse “Can I be admitted, cousin? Is there still room tonight? I can pay.”  
The nurse just continued scribbling on her notepad. “What happened?”  
“Was in a fight. I think I got stabbed.”   
Thomas stared at the boy, put off by his presence for some reason. Metias sent two soldiers into the hospital to pat the boy down. Thomas bit his lip, again, because he’s nervous. “Don’t like the look of that one. He doesn’t walk like someone who’s been stabbed, does he?”  
Metias watched the boy leave out of their sight, then nodded. “Agreed. Keep an eye on that one. After our rotation’s done, I’d like to question him a bit.”

The front of the hospital was empty now. And just then Thomas noticed how close he and Metias had been standing to one another. He could feel his cheeks redden. ‘Great- so much for switching off emotion’. Whatever Thomas was sensing, Metias did too. So they just stood there for a moment, avoiding each other's gazes while attempting to keep watch.   
Thomas has always known Metias was attracted towards him. But why did it feel this bare tonight? Where was this coming from? Then again, this entire day felt off. Perhaps Metias was just on edge because of June’s antics at the university this morning. That must be it. All of this worry made it hard for Thomas to ignore his heart thumping in his chest. It was so loud, he was surprised Metias hadn’t pointed it out.   
_“Find a way to get Captain Iparis to a private spot tonight. I don’t care how you do it.”_  
Jameson’s words haunted Thomas’ head - he has to do it tonight. He has to do it now.

Thomas takes a short moment to gather himself, trying to calm himself down. “Captain,” he murmured, as he tapped Metias on his shoulder. “Can I speak to you in private for a moment?”   
Metias blinked, confused. “Is it urgent?”  
He didn’t even look especially sad or anything - Metias’ face was somewhat devoid of emotion. Yet those eyes just did something to Thomas. “Not quite,” he managed to stammer, barely keeping his composure. “But… I’d rather you know.”   
Metias’ confusion only seemed to grow. He was clearly looking for clues as to what the hell was going on. Thomas was already formulating an excuse in his head, but Metias waved over two soldiers to take their place as guards. 

Thomas and Metias left, walking out of sight from the others. Immediately Metias’ formal composure fell apart, “Something wrong, Thomas?” He asked, concerned “You don’t look well.”   
Thomas hated this. He hated this so, so much. Because everything was wrong, and he was not doing well at all. And if he had any choice, he would probably just break into tears. He’d hug Metias, and hold on to him as if his life depended on it. They’d finish their shift, and go home together. Thomas would get to talk to Metias, make everything right.   
Treason against the Republic. Metias would never do that, right? Or would he? Thomas looked at his friend, the light hit Metias’ eyes in that one way - the one that made them shimmer slightly golden. Thomas had to suppress whatever emotion that caused him to have, he had to ignore it. The two grew up together, trained together, they grew so close. So close, in fact- was it love? Was it all platonic? Perhaps Thomas wasn’t fully sure of his own feelings. Thomas shifted his position the slightest bit, he wanted to push Metias’ hair out of his face. Just a little, just so he could see him better. But the slight movement reminded Thomas of the sheathed knife sitting heavily at his waist. “I’m fine.” He said, standing still again. He needed closure before he could do this, he needed to know.

Metias laughed - actually laughed. It sounded so nice. “Come on. You’ve never needed to hide anything from me before. You know that, right?” His expression was so kind, it made everything so much more difficult.  
 _‘Just say it, Thomas.’_ he told himself. _‘Force the words out. Just let him hear it.’_ Thomas sighed, looking straight up at Metias. “What is this between us?”   
Silence.  
“What do you mean?”  
“You know what I mean.” Thomas nearly felt angry. Nearly. “This. All these years.” Was it all in his head? Did Thomas create this whole narrative about the two of them being in love, while Metias was just being a friend? _Would that make this any easier?_  
Metias looked at Thomas sternly. “This.” he emphasized the word, “can’t happen. You’re my subordinate.”   
Thomas bit his lip again. That wasn’t false. “But it means something to you, sir. Doesn’t it?” He looked at his friend to find something, anything.   
The captain was clearly trying to control his expression, yet still, Thomas could see the emotion on his face. Something tragically joyful. Metias leaned in closer. Thomas could feel the wall - one that had been built around them all their lives - had finally begun to crack. “Does it mean anything to you?” he asked Thomas. 

Enough. Thomas already felt enough guilt in his stomach. He already felt so empty and helpless having to do this -. He hated having to go through with this. But if he was going to, he might as well say goodbye. It wouldn’t matter anyway, right? After tonight Metias would be dead, and Thomas would never have this chance again. He took a swift step forward and closed his eyes. Before he had any time to change his mind, he kissed Metias.   
Thomas could feel Metias tense, but he still held onto him for a second. Maybe he secretly wanted this, maybe this is what he wanted all those years, knowing it was wrong. Time stopped for a moment, one small spark of happiness during this grim night.   
Who cared if Metias even cared for Thomas? Maybe Thomas could just tell Metias about Jameson’s plan, and he’d run away- to safety. But before Thomas could think about that any longer, he felt Metias kissing him back. _Oh._

This meant a lot- way too many things for Thomas to process. First, he felt happy. As much as this happiness was tinted with dread. Second, he was worried. Metias stepped right into the trap - he is vulnerable. This is it, this is the moment. _‘It’s this or torture’_ , Thomas reminded himself.   
Thomas’ hand crept to the knife around his waist.   
_Do it.  
Do it, coward  
Why can’t you just follow orders, like you’re supposed to? _  
But it was too much. Metias’ lips still on his, finally standing so close, finally being fulfilled for once - Thomas couldn’t bring himself to end it. He could barely even bring himself to breathe. 

Metias pulled Thomas even closer, but before anything could be said or done, an alarm cut through the air. Suddenly, the two jumped apart. Both were red and confused, and it took both of them a second to realise that the alarm was coming from the hospital. And just like that, the moment broke.  
Thomas could practically see Metias snapping back into captain mode. “Get inside,” he yelled into his earpiece, “I want half of you in there--pinpoint the source. Gather the others at the entrance and wait for my command. Now!” He ran off to the hospital entrance. Naturally, Thomas ran after him. There went his chance to do it - to end it. Would this mean he just doomed Metias to die miserably? Did Jameson see what happened, and was she plotting to punish Thomas as well? All this worry made Thomas have a hard time catching up to Metias. 

“Break-in,” Metias explained, “It was that boy we saw. I’m sure of it. Bryant, get five and circle east. I’ll go the other way.” he was already on the move, gathering his soldiers. “He’s going to have to get out of that hospital somehow. We’ll be waiting for him when he tries.”  
Thomas did as Metias commanded. However, the second he was out of earshot, he ordered his soldiers to head east and then snuck into the shadows.   
_‘I have to follow him.’_ he thought, _‘This is my last chance. If I fail, I’m as good as dead anyway.’_ Was it even possible to have more of an adrenaline rush? Thomas could feel sweat trickle down on his face, and he had to remind himself of all the lessons that Metias taught him about subtlety and stealth. If it wasn’t for Metias, Thomas wouldn't even be able to sneak up on him like this. 

Suddenly, from somewhere in the night, Thomas heard glass shatter. He hid behind a wall as Metias raced past, alone and unguarded towards the source of the sound. _'this is it. Your chance'_ Thomas thought and followed him.   
It felt as if the void was blinding Thomas. Or maybe it was just dark? He felt lost - was he even still tracking Metias? All these alleys felt so confusing. He twirled around, right as he was on the brink of a breakdown, a call came through. 

“You’d better find a second chance to take him down, Lieutenant. Soon.” Jameson barked. This did not help, not at all. Thomas didn’t say anything in return, he just closed his eyes, trying to focus. He wanted to cry so badly. He’s been wanting to cry this entire night - but no. First, he’d have to kill his best friend. He oriented himself in the alleys, and minutes later he finally found Metias. He was alone, struggling up from the ground with a knife buried in his shoulder, surrounded by blood and broken glass. The scene broke Thomas’ heart. He hadn’t even done anything yet, and he already felt guilty. A few feet from Metias lay a sewer cap. Thomas quickly rushed to Metias’ side.   
Metias smiled at him. Metias smiled, and it killed Thomas. This hurt pulled at his chest, it’s as if every little piece of him that the void hasn’t devoured yet was crying out in pain.  
“It was Day,” Metias gasped. “He escaped down the sewers.” He reached out to Thomas, “Here. Help me up.”

Thomas stayed silent, unable to move. _‘This is your chance,’_ he told himself. _‘This is your only chance, and if you can’t do it now, it will never happen.’_ They say that before you die, you see your life flash in front of your eyes. Thomas realised that that must be the same thing when you’re about to kill someone. He kept seeing all these images in his head. Jameson would interrogate Metias - slice him open piece by piece, torturing him for every bit of information. She would kill him slowly, like how she would a prisoner of war.   
And then the Republic’s flag - he did this for the Republic, right? He took an oath the day Metias accepted him into patrol. He swore to forever be faithful to the republic and the Elector, until his dying day.   
Thomas’ eyes darted to the knife in Metias’ shoulder. _‘Do it. Do it now’_. Thomas nearly reached for it, he nearly grabbed the knife to plunge it into Metias’ heart. But he stopped. Why? _Oh no._

_Oh no._

Thomas reached for Metias hand. “We need to go, captain.” He said. He could already hear others arriving - Jameson would be the first to see this. She would see how Thomas was weak, how he couldn’t do it. She’d take Metias.   
Metias frowned. “I don’t-.”  
“I know you don’t understand. But trust me. Please. I’ll explain it in time but we need to go.” This was so unlike Thomas. He would never do this- this is wrong, he is breaking his oath. He is breaking every rule he knows. “Please, Metias.” Finally, he started crying. God, it felt good to cry. “Trust me, this one time. Just trust me, _please._ ”


	2. ON THE RUN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whereas chapter 1 was 90% Thomas' panicking, this chapter is 90% dialogue. 
> 
> I know it's super unbalanced, and it WILL be better in the next chapter. But the points I wrote down for this chapter just really asked for a lot of dialogue to happen. 
> 
> (Also: Next chapter will hopefully be longer! Sorry for the shorter chap.)

“Thomas, where are we going?” Metias asked as he followed his subordinate around yet another corner. 

“Met- _sir._ Give me a moment.” 

The Ruby sector at night looked absolutely dashing; elegant buildings that reached into the stars. Expensive cars were driving on every street, and every night goer was dressed more extravagantly than the other. Not to mention that there were so many bright lights, the city might as well be on fire. Thomas wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. He was glad he could see, unlike in the allies near the hospital. But if he could see, that meant that Jameson could do so as well. They must already be following them.  
Thomas imagined Jameson to be furious, immediately ordering her troops to engage in a pursuit. They might be just a couple of steps behind them. Or, they already mapped out all possible places for the two of them to go; and are just waiting to circle them in. Then it would be over, for both of them. Because now Thomas is on the same level as Metias, and he hated it. Not only because he’s mad at himself, but because it feels like he disappointed his dad. Thomas was given the possibility to work hard for a better future, and now it’s ruined.

_He betrayed the Republic. He refused to follow a direct order._

Running wouldn’t cut it, that was for sure. Thomas and Metias were on foot, and Jameson had countless jeeps, cameras, and men at her disposal. There was no place to go, right? Metias’ apartment was too far away, so there was no way they could reach his car. Where could two runaways even go? He’d think that there would have been more cases of this - but he couldn’t remember a single time he had to pursue a criminal around here. At least not one with a good hiding spot. Then again, those with good hiding spots were probably never caught anyway.  
“Thomas,” Metias said firmly, grabbing his arm and forcing a stop to the aimless running around. “You don’t know where we are going, do you?” He asked.  
“I- I don’t.”  
Metias sighed, resting his back against the wall behind him. They were both somewhat out of breath. “Are we being followed?”  
“Yes,” Thomas confirmed, looking around. They somehow landed on one of the main roads. Cars were racing by, and most of the buildings were stores or pubs. For sure Jameson would check around here. “I mean - I think so? Probably.”  
“Why?”  
Thomas hesitated. He wanted to tell Metias, of course. But if he would tell him, that would make it true. What would he even say? Truth is, Thomas doesn’t even really know what Metias knows. He hacked databases of civilians, and of the Republic. But what did he find? Before he had the chance to say anything, something rather concerning appeared on the street: “Cops. Captain, there’s cops.” 

A uniformed trio was marching along the streets. They didn’t seem particularly out to get someone, but intimidating enough for Thomas. “Do you think that they already know about us?” He asked Metias, who shook his head.  
“Does it matter? I wouldn’t want to risk it.” Metias went to the nearest pub, “Let’s hope they won’t go into any buildings.”

The place was nice; cosy. It had a vintage style, which essentially means a lot of wood and cement, something you’d find in 2040. A fireplace was roaring in the centre, which gave it a calming ambience.  
Thomas noticed how Metias was looking around, analyzing everything. Thomas could never, but it did give him some sense of security knowing that Metias is so perceptive of everything. “We should order drinks as to not seem suspicious. Then we can talk.” He suggested. 

A little while later, the two were sitting in the corner of the pub. Thomas still on edge, Metias looking at everything as a possible threat. “So,” Metias took a sip of his water. Tonight was hardly fit for any alcohol anyway. “I still don’t know why we’re running. I mean - I can imagine it.”  
“It was the hacking, Metias. Of course, it had to be. Because of your meddling with those databases, the Republic wants you dead.”  
Metias sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Not surprised there.-”  
“They wanted me to do it.”  
“What?” Now Metias was genuinely shocked. “Why would they force that on you?”  
Thomas shrugged, forcibly recalling the call he got from Jameson. The way she barked her orders at him. He could feel the dread pool in his stomach as if he had to live through it again. “I don’t know. I guess because it would have been easier for me. We’re close, and you-.” he hesitated. “- _trust_ me.”  
“Were you going to do it?”  
He froze. Was Thomas going to do it? If that alarm wouldn’t have gone off, would he have tried? “I-.” he was about to cry again. “Don’t know. I was close.” He looked up at Metias full of regret. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It was a direct order from Jameson.” Not like that was a good excuse. Because it wasn’t. Nothing was a good excuse.  
“Don’t be. They have good reason to want me killed, and you didn’t end up doing it.” Metias’ gaze lingered on Thomas, “Which means you chose me over the Republic. Over your oath.” he smiled, “That must have been hard.”  
As much as Thomas didn’t want it to be true, it was. It should have been the easiest choice of his life, but he hesitated so often earlier that night… “Well, now we’re both in trouble, anyway. I have no idea where we can go, and we’ll for sure be followed by the Republic.”  
“We’ll figure something out.”  
“What do you know, anyway? What information is so vital that it can’t get out?”  
“Thomas, I can’t-.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation.” a waitress who had formerly introduced herself as Sandra spoke, tightly holding onto her tablet. She was young and clearly anxious. “I think I might be able to help you two.”  
Metias momentarily went back into Captain mode. He glared at the waitress, “were you eavesdropping on us?”  
Thomas was holding onto his cup with so much pressure, he thought he was about to break it. What if she heard something serious? Would she call the police on them -?  
“I didn’t mean to!” She quickly clarified. “Listen-.” she lowered her voice, glancing over her shoulder as if to make sure the coast was clear. “I didn’t hear much of what you said, but it sounds like you’re in trouble with the Republic. I don’t know who you are, but we’ve all been there. In the Ruby sector less than in the poor ones, yes. But it happens.” She paused as if to wait for approval to continue. The two men just looked at her blankly, so she explained; “The owner of this establishment has a basement where people can temporarily hide. Of course, there’s a hefty price attached -- this is a huge risk for him, after all. But euh- maybe it can help, if you have the money.” 

Metias nodded, thinking about his options. “We’ll consider it.”  
Thomas watched the waitress leave, and as soon as she was out of earshot he hissed “are you insane?” He leaned over the table so he could easily be heard while whispering. “This place is running an illegal business on the side, and you want to take part in it? If I would have stumbled upon this information two days ago, I would have reported it. They’d have the owner’s head.”  
“I understand that you have a deep-lying loyalty to the Republic. But remember that when _we_ get found, that the Republic will have _our_ heads. We should do it.”  
Thomas’ expression fell. “It just feels so wrong. We already broke the law, maybe if we report this bar we’ll be excused?” Breaking the law once didn’t excuse it to be done again. They had absolutely no reason to betray the Republic even more, right?  
“That’s some _very_ wishful thinking. I also don’t believe my crimes can be excused that easily. I have some… Dangerous information. Stuff that the Republic does not want to get out. Regardless of what I’ll do, they want me dead.”  
A short silence ensued. Thomas looked at the other people in the establishment. Nearly all of them were Ruby sector citizens. Perhaps there were a couple of other gem sectors as well, there was no real way to tell stuff like that. Before Thomas got accepted into Metias’ patrol, he always saw people like that as the ‘lucky ones’, people who just happened to be born rich. Later, he thought of them as people who worked hard for what they owned and deserve to be in the position that they are in. And he felt as if he were a part of them. He worked hard. He got somewhere because of that.  
Now, however, he just felt utterly separated again. He was a criminal, and there was no way to change that anymore. “Alright then. Fine.” He didn’t like this, not at all. But it was better than sleeping outside, that’d be dangerous in many ways. “But I don’t have any notes on me. - Not a lot, anyway.”  
“We’ll see if we can afford it.” Metias waved over the waitress again, who brought the owner with her to their table.

The owner of the establishment was a middle-aged man, scruffy beard, and strongly built. Seeing him, you would probably assume he was in the military for some time, evident by a couple of scars on his arms and one on his face. He introduced himself as ‘Titus’ as he eyed both Thoams and Metias. “So, you’re here for our underground service?” He asked, pulling an empty chair from nearby, and sitting down at Thomas and Metias’ table.  
“Yes,” Metias confirmed.  
“Alright then. Tell me, what brings you here?” Though his words seemed pushy, he actually sounded somewhat patient. Titus reached into his pocket, producing a piece of paper and a pen. “You don’t have to tell me. But it’s nice to hear the stories of people who insulted the Republic. It’s scum - terrible, and fully totalitarian. It’s nice to see it being hurt.”  
Thomas was terribly uncomfortable. _‘The Republic isn’t all bad.’_ He thought to himself. He heard Metias talk with the owner for a while, but he kind of zoned out. The void, that thing inside of him, is coming back. He shouldn’t do this - he should do what’s right, and report this business. Nobody can just badmouth the Republic like this.  
“Thomas? Thomas?” Metias waved a pencil in front of Thomas’ face.  
Thomas was slightly disoriented, but he still picked up the pencil. “Uh-.” He looked down at the paper in front of him. It seemed to be some sort of contract. Though he attempted to briefly read through it, he didn’t find anything suspicious. Besides, Metias’ name was already signed in lacy letters. Thomas added his own name next to his captain’s and pushed it over to the owner.  
“Right then.” The owner took the paper and stood up. There was a pile of notes on the table as well, which Thomas just now noticed. The owner took those as well. “I expect you two to be out by noon tomorrow. Good luck fellas.” He left.  
Sandra, who has been there during the conversation smiles awkwardly. “I’m glad that guys are going to be okay. Enjoy your stay.” She did a small wave and then left as well. 

Thomas watched her leave. “So- we’re staying here tonight?”  
“Yes. But we’ll need a new plan for tomorrow.” Metias quickly downed the rest of his drink, “Let’s go downstairs to discuss. We can’t have someone overhearing.” 

-

The room was… _minimal._  
Two mattresses lying on the floor, a table, and a door to what must be a bathroom. But it would do, it was fine. Thomas immediately went for one of the mattresses, and let himself fall down on it. “I hate this night,” he muttered, looking up at the cracked ceiling. 

Metias sat down on the table. There were lines cut into the wood. Mainly insults towards the Republic, ACAB, and names. Nothing out of the ordinary. “It’ll get better.” He assured Thomas. “We’ll figure something out. We can go to the Patriots, for example.”

“The _Patriots?_ ” Thomas exclaimed. “Staying in an illegal establishment is one thing. Joining the Patriots is a whole other thing.”  
“What other choice do we have, realistically?” Mettias began swinging his legs below the table, “We can’t leave the continent, not without some insane miracle. Mexico is way too heavily guarded to sneak into, Canada is very far north. Truth be told, I don’t know much about that place. I don’t think any country would want much to do with Republicans like us.” 

Thomas was confused, sitting up on the mattress. “What? The Republic is the most powerful country in the world. They should be happy we want to go to them.”  
“There’s so much you don’t know, Thomas.” Metias sighed “I won’t get into it, because I can’t. But… I don’t think other countries would want anything to do with us.”  
“You can’t tell me because you don’t trust me,” Thomas said as if he knew it was true. “Because I nearly killed you. And that’s fine-. I just wish that we wouldn’t have to deal with both personal and… legal issues.”  
“Thomas, no. I swear that’s not the reason. I would trust you with my life. You are everything to me right now. I can’t go to June or contact her, or any of the other guys from my patrol. But I have you. Don’t ever think I don’t trust you.”

A couple of minutes later, they were both about to fall asleep. It reminded Thomas of their old sleepovers in the most uncomfortable way. Those nights used to be the highlight of his life. Now he’s at rock bottom. “So, the Patriots? Tomorrow?”  
“After breakfast, if we can get some. We’ll have to abandon our Ruby sector lifestyles.”  
There was a short silence.  
“Captain, are you…” Thomas was looking for the right word. “... shocked? Sad? Confused?” He could probably continue naming emotions - emotions Thomas was feeling himself. 

Metias didn’t seem to acknowledge the question. “You don’t have to call me ‘Captain’, Thomas. It’s not like I have that title anymore anyway. I’m just ‘Metias’ like I’ve always been.”  
“Oh-. Right.” 

Before he fell asleep, all Thomas could think about were the repercussions of that simple fact; he wasn’t Metias’ subordinate anymore.


	3. VIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald sector is not what they expect. They make a new ally, but can she really be trusted?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, look at me, disappearing for a whole month. I promise I'll try to update more regularly from now on out. To make up for it, this is an extra-long chapter.
> 
> Any and all feedback is welcome, comments keep me going :)
> 
> (Also, a big 'ol thanks to LittleRoseshttps://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRoses/pseuds/LittleRoses for helping me out with beta'ing this chapter)
> 
> BIG DISCLAIMER:  
> I have not read the fourth book, nor have I finished reading the third. Everything about the Emerald sector is 100% made up, I don't know if this alligns with what Marie Lu says in the books.

The morning went by quicker than Thomas would have guessed. They didn’t have any luggage, so departing from the basement took a small five minutes. After saying a final ‘good-bye’ and ‘thank you’ to Titus and Sandra, they left. He wished he had slept longer. It was tough to get any shut-eye in the first place. He was pretty sure Metias didn’t get much of it either. Though the knife that got plunged into his shoulder last night wasn’t meant to kill, it still hurt. They were able to bandage it somewhat, which was good. It just wasn’t enough. They’d still have to look out for infections.  
Last night was confusing, and this morning was as well. For some reason Thomas was waiting on orders from Metias; directions that would make everything alright. Something, anything, that would solve this problem. But that was the whole issue; there were no orders to follow. There was no plan to execute, or any sort of directions. They’d just blindly have to make the best of this somehow. 

Once on the street again, they started taking back allies to get to the slum sectors. It was the only place they knew of where police wouldn’t be walking around on patrols. Having worked in the army and being so close to the country’s security, they certainly did have an advantage over the average runaways. Still, Jamesson was good at what she did. She wouldn’t be stupid enough not to change the patrol patterns.  
Luckily enough, there were still _those_ allies. The ones where the patrols don’t bother, for reasons Thomas doesn’t quite know. Metias probably would, but this didn’t seem like the right time to ask.

“Do you think that June is safe?” Metias asked after a while in an attempt to break the silence that has been going on.  
“I don’t know. I doubt that they’ll just let her go.” He hated how he could _feel_ Metias’ expression drop because of that. But Thomas knew that his friend was already aware of it, of course he knew that June was probably going to get taken in by Jamesson. He knew that she might be used against them. Thomas just had to confirm it. “But they can’t punish her just for being related to you.”  
“No, but they might assume I told her what I found out. It wouldn’t be impossible for them to think that this--” he gestured vaguely”-- is all planned.”  
“Do you think they’ll torture it out of her or something?” Crap, that came out very wrong.  
Metias hesitated before nodding. “Yes. It’s just that she doesn’t know. She has no idea what’s going on.”  
Thomas felt terrible. He hated this, because he wished that he could relate to Metias so that he could help him. But they didn’t have much of a choice. They had to leave Batalla, they had to leave _everything_. There was no way they could have a pit-stop at Metias’ appartement, of course Jamesson was already there. Any sort of communication with June would put everyone at risk. “We’ll be able to protect her somehow, even from a distance.” He said, though even to him his words feel empty. He knew that June’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed.  
“Let’s hope so.” 

With that, they fell back into silence. 

The entire Batalla sector is designed in a very simple way; very square, very symmetrical. It was the military and hospital sector, so honestly it’s no surprise. Then, however, came a huge change of scenery. As the Ruby sector was east of Batalla, the Emerald was west. Whereas Thomas was sure that Metias must have been there a couple of times, he hasn’t been. Not once. The Ruby sector was full of tall buildings, skyscrapers designed for residents. It had malls, and felt as if everybody living there was royalty. It had this aura of precision and wealth - everything was perfect, and it’s inhabitants were nearly all either tacticians, members of the army, or plain rich. The Emerald sector was nothing like that.

The very first thing Thomas noticed was the colour. As soon he and Metias crossed Narcissus Avenue, the last street of the Batalla sector, there was so much more… _everything_. The skyscrapers? Gone. Nearly every house was a bungalow, made out of some sort of material totally unfamiliar to Thomas. It nearly looked organic.Everything was colourful, and asymmetric and nearly a strain on the eyes. “Have you ever been here?” he asked as they entered the unfamiliar streets. Just to be sure.  
“Yes. A couple of times. Don’t pay too much attention to the people here. The Republic tries to house a very specific type of person in this area.”  
“What do you mean by that?”  
“You’ll find out, we shouldn’t be caught talking about it.” 

What could be so off about Emerald? Thomas did his best remembering all he knew about this sector, but for some reason he found himself knowing very little about it. It’s just not a place he would have any reason to be knowledgeable about. It was some sort of cultural centre, for people who considered themselves ‘free thinkers’. Painting, music, philosophy - all different arts were practiced _here_ , in some sort of hub that was, of course, fully controlled by the Republic. That leaves you wondering how free those thinkers really are.  
Any and all musicians from the Republic seemed to live here, this is where those famous people come from. A part of Thomas actually wanted to properly explore, just because this seemed like such an exotic place to him. He probably wouldn’t get to look around here anytime again after this.  
Metias had none of it, he seemed very adamant on leaving Emerald as soon as possible. Further west was the Lake sector, which for now was their destination. Mainly because the amount of patrols was much less saturated there

“You there!” A man was standing on a stone podium in the middle of a plaza that the pair had just entered. Both of them exchanged a bewildered look. “You are guards, are you not?”  
Of course they didn’t have the chance to change out of their uniforms. Though they didn’t have the typical red-stripe-on-sleeve police ones - no, both of them were in military attire. The man didn’t seem to notice. “This young woman has been causing an uproar. She should be-”  
A girl no older than June interrupted him. She didn’t look dangerous, her most discernible visual trait was very peculiar make-up that covered her dark skin in seemingly random patterns. “I have the right to express myself in this sector!” Her voice was kind of raspy, there was certainly more than just anger behind her words. The two started yelling profanities, and clearly the situation was escalating. Thomas would absolutely love to just run away from the issue, but that wouldn’t solve it. Real guards were bound to arrive soon if this would continue, and then they’d have a problem. They’d have to intervene.  
Metias stepped forward, clearly knowing much more about these types of situations. “No need to get aggressive.” He strode to the small crowd, the people parting to make a path towards the young girl. She glared at him with her one eye that wasn’t obstructed by her hair. “We’ll take her with us and deal with the situation.” He offered the crowd a formal smile, before walking off. Thomas followed the two, acting as if he knew exactly what’s going on. 

“You’re not from the police,” she hissed, as soon as the three of them were out of earshot from the crowd. Thomas recognised her accent to be southern. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but police officers around here have a different uniform.” She dug around in her jacket pockets for something. “I’m guessing you stole those from a military base, right? And criminals can help other criminals out.” Apparently, Metias and Thomas looked so disheveled that she didn’t even think that they _could_ be soldiers. It’s not like Thomas could blame her for that, he knew they were a mess. “I need to find this man.” she said, shoving her phone in their faces. It displayed a low-quality image of a middle-aged man. He had long hair, and all-in-all seemed a little overgrown. “His name is Nico Tamayo, and if you’re going to help me track him down, then I won’t snitch you out to the _real_ police.”  
Thomas had a lot of questions, he was having a hard time formulating a single one. Metias beat him to it. “Why shouldn’t we just snitch _you_ out to the police first?”  
“Because you’re wearing fake uniforms, ones that don’t even exist,” She said matter-of-factly. Which, to Thomas, was kind of relieving. At least she didn’t know the clothing code that well. “And they wouldn’t believe you. I have a clean record. I go to an art school right around the corner, nobody knows that I’m involved in this business.”  
“For someone so good at keeping your crimes hidden, you seem quite willing to tell us --complete strangers-- about them,” Metias commented, crossing his arms. Thomas wished he could read what he was thinking.  
“I’m desperate,” she explained. “I got pulled into this whole underground situation that I had _no_ intention of being a part of. My mom wanted me to get some extra cash, and I was never planning to get involved with Rich.”  
“Who is that?”  
The girl looked at him incredulously, “Are you two not from around here?” She paused, as if she was contemplating something, “I don’t think this is a safe discussion to be held in public like this. I have a shelter not far from here, but first I need to know if you agree to work with me.”  
Metias looked at Thomas, who shrugged. It’s not like they had any other options. Sure, they could go to the lake sector and blindly walk around there, but it’s not like they would get anywhere. This might be their best bet. “Just to be clear,” Metias asked, “You want us to help you track down this man, Nico, and in return we’ll get shelter and a mutual agreement not to rat each other out?” He paused, “And - you’ll give us medical aid.”  
“Why would I do that? Is there something wrong with you?”  
“He was stabbed,” Thomas explained, hating how those words sounded in his mouth.  
She groaned,“Fine. But you won’t stay at my place forever. Maybe a week, tops.”  
Metias held out his hand, for the girl to shake. “Good. It’s a deal then.”  
The girl smiled, and nodded. “Perfect. I’m Viv.”  
“Julius,” Metias replied, glancing at Thomas. Obviously they couldn’t use their real names.  
“Finn,” Thomas said after a short pause. 

-

Thomas still hated that they were helping a criminal. Of course he did, it went against everything that he believed. Though he couldn’t deny that the rest of the day was just plain _nice_. Viv’s shelter, as it turns out, was just a regular boutique with a backroom. The house belonged to two sisters, whose name Thomas had already escaped. They seemed to be either aware of, or a part of some sort of organisation that belonged to Rich. He wished he could follow everything they were talking about, but it was all just so much to take in. 

After Viv helped properly disinfect Metias’ wound, the rest of the evening was spent talking about a plan for tomorrow. Viv refused to disclose anything about where she was from, or why she, a mere 17-year-old (who looked much younger), was even involved with Rich in the first place. It was obvious she didn’t trust either of them. But her situation was, apparently, just desperate enough to ask two complete strangers for help. “This is a time sensitive kind of deal,” She told them over dinner. “Rich was extremely adamant about that. We have until Friday to get Nico to Rich’s base, dead or alive.” Thomas hated that. Ever since he decided that he wouldn’t kill Metias, the thought of killing anybody else made him uneasy.  
During dinner, he managed to keep a calm composure, and let Metias do most of the talking. Technically, he isn’t his subordinate anymore. Still, it just felt _right_ for Metias to call the shots instead of him. Now that it was dark, and he was lying on a shitty pull-out couch in a back room of the boutique, he finally took the time to think. He kind of wished he could talk to Metias, but he was pretty sure that he was already asleep next to him. 

The ceiling was made out of the same material the walls were, Thomas observed. He still had no idea what it was, it would have to be some sort of plant material. It’s crazy how different sectors can be from one another. It makes him wonder what the slum sectors must be like. They’ll have to go to Lake tomorrow - just like originally planned. Now, however, for a different reason. Viv was supposed to be the brains- knowing Lake, and knowing Nico better than either of the two guys did. And that would make Thomas and Metias the muscle. It felt wrong to go along with it. In some distant way Viv reminded him of June, which kind of made the whole ordeal worse. “You picked the name Julius in reference to July,” Thomas said in a tone barely louder than a whisper. He didn’t really expect an answer, he just wanted to break the vexing silence already.  
“I did,” Metias said, rolling around to face Thomas. “June and July.” He chuckled sadly, as if he was trying to force himself to be happy. It broke Thomas’ heart to see him like this. A good look at Metias’ face showed him that he seemed to be crying. Thomas also wanted to cry.  
“It’s a nice sentiment.” Gods, how he wished he could cheer Metias up. But, he didn’t reply. He just looked at Thomas as if he was searching for something in his eyes. That somehow just made everything worse. “I’m sure that she’s okay.” No reply. “Jamesson isn’t heartless. At some point she’ll have to figure out that June doesn’t have anything to do with this.”  
Metias was tearing up again, shaking his head. It was so weird and so scary to see him so vulnerable. Thomas has never felt this helpless. Metias tried to hide his face in his pillow. “I’m sorry,” He said, “I know that I’m not your Captain anymore, it just feels as if I have this responsibility to protect you. And I also had a responsibility to protect June - and she’s probably in a horrible cell, as we speak. Being denied food, water- God knows what else they’re doing to her. And Ollie-,” his voice broke, “- they probably just killed him.”  
“Hey, don’t say that.” Thomas, out of reflex, puts a hand on Metias’ shoulder. He remembered the wound, and quickly placed his hand on Metias’ lower arm instead. “None of this is your fault.”  
“You don’t know that. If I had done a better job of cleaning up my digital tracks, none of this would have happened.”  
“Metias-”  
“It’s not as if Jamesson gave you a choice. Maybe if you _did_ kill me-”  
“Metias!” Thomas hissed, shaking the taller a little. “Not killing you was one of the biggest decisions of my life, and I don’t regret it one bit. I’m disgusted that I even considered it.” Not all of that was entirely true. It was hard to choose. The thought that Metias’ death would have made things easier certainly crossed Thomas’ mind a couple of times. But every time that he saw his friend, every time he heard his voice, he was reminded that a life without him wouldn’t have been worth it. “I care so much about you. We’ll get through whatever the Republic throws at us, together.” 

Metias sighed, scooting closer to Thomas, just for the sake of being closer. In a way, it reminded Thomas of the sleepovers they used to have. Physical affection was so normal when they were younger. Why did that change? As if he read his mind, Metias told him that “I know that whatever we have going on is confusing. I wish I understood it, and I wish that we had the time to figure it out together.” He paused, “Right now I just need you to be there. As a friend. And tomorrow, after we’ve caught Nico, we can talk to see if we’re more than that.”  
“That sounds nice,” Thomas said, not really sure what to think of it. He wished they could just talk about it right now, but Metias obviously wasn’t ready for that. So, they slept. And for once, Metias was vulnerable, and sad. And that was okay, because they both were. 

-

Because the peaceful moment couldn’t last forever, the morning came quicker than Thomas had wished. The sun glared into the little back room by a little blacked out window. It was terribly disorienting to wake up in a strange place. Again. Metias was gone, too. In his place was a pile of clean clothes, a towel, and a note.  
_“Go shower.  
We’re having breakfast soon.  
_

_-Viv”_

The prospect of being able to get rid of his guard uniform alone was more than enough motivation to immediately get up. That uniform was now tainted with memories he’d like to forget, anyway.

After having found the shower, he just kind of let the water wash over him for a moment. It was nice, and warm, and grounding. A part of him regrets not having talked more with Metias yesterday. Another part reminded him that they’d have all the time in the world to talk after they were done with the whole ordeal with Viv and Nico.  
After drying himself off, he glanced in the mirror. Dull blue eyes looked back at him. For just a moment he recalled the day he took his oath. For some reason that felt like ages ago. The night after he took it, he remembered looking at himself in the mirror, and thinking _“I’m a soldier now.”_ He shook his head. He wasn’t a soldier anymore, and he wasn’t going to be one again anytime soon. As he didn’t have anything to slick his hair back with, he decided to just let it air dry. No point in putting in effort, anyway.  
The clothes they gave him were a bit too big, but they would do. Apparently they were hand-sewn in the boutique. They looked appropriately over the top. Though, it would definitely fit right in with the rest of Emerald, he supposed. 

The front of the boutique smelled like breakfast. Actual, pancakes-and-eggs breakfast. Metias, Viv, and one of the two sisters were sitting at a round table. Metias’ bandages were renewed. Viv, again, had all this weird make-up on. She looked up when she heard Thomas enter, “Hey, good morning.” Her demeanor from yesterday hasn’t changed. “We’re heading out in a couple of minutes, after Evelyn is done with patching up Julius.” She nodded towards Metias.  
Right. One of the sisters’ names was Evelyn. The other one, the tiny one, what was hers again? Aemilia? It didn’t matter much. “Okay.” 

Breakfast was nice. Eating proper food was one of the things Thomas thought he’d have to wave goodbye to. It was still baffling to him how these complete strangers seemed to show so much hospitality - similar to Titus, the guy from the pub. Behind closed doors, everybody’s opinion on the Republic changed, and everybody was so willing to help one another. Thomas was still convinced that the Republic wasn’t inherently bad.  
After having eaten, they immediately headed out right as Evelyn opened the shop. Emerald looked just as weird as he had remembered. “Say, Viv,” he asked after a while, just for the sake of breaking the silence. “What’s up with the face paint? I’ve seen some other people around here with something similar.”  
She glared at him over her shoulder, as if she was offended that he even asked.  
“Is it, like, fashion in Emerald?” he tried.  
“It’s not _fashion_ ,” great, now she just sounded terribly offended. “If anything, it’s a statement. Blocking out parts of the face like this makes it impossible for cameras to detect it.”  
Metias frowned, “That’s legal?”  
“Of course it’s not.” Viv laughed patronisingly. “It’s just one of those laws that isn’t really enforced. In Emerald, the whole point is artistic freedom. Or, at least, the illusion of that. So, if anybody would get arrested for it, they could make a claim that it’s just their way to express themselves, that they didn’t know better. It’s a ton of paperwork, nobody really wants to deal with it.” She shrugged, “I heard that in the rest of the Republic they aren’t that lenient with the laws.”  
They crossed a road, and then walked past a large wall with graffiti on it.  
Metias pointed it out, “Like that. If somebody is caught painting on a wall in Batalla, they’d be in big trouble.”  
“Yes. Street art is common too.” Viv nearly just ignored the drawing, but she had to do a double take. “Wait a minute- that _is_ illegal.” This was the first time that Thomas heard her genuinely surprised.  
He took a closer look. The image was a white pyramid, with a red dot on the top. It kind of reminded him of an upside-down exclamation mark. “What’s wrong with it? Some sort of gang symbol?”  
Viv nodded, but then shook her head. “It’s complicated. Rich, the guy I work for, he has this whole organisation that essentially attempts to subliminally make people distrust the Republic. In the form of subtle signs in art, and music. It’s been successful, and mostly undetected by the Republic itself. Since Emerald is the only place where this sort of creativity is allowed, he’s put down roots around here. The entire point is to stay as hidden and as least aggressive as possible.” She put her hand on the graffiti, and some of the white colour stuck to her hand. “This must have been Nico. He’s been fighting with Rich a lot, thinks that we need a more direct approach. We don’t usually do graffiti, guards pick up on that type of crap. _Especially_ this - it’s a symbol commonly used to critique how totalitarian our government is.” She abruptly looked away, and continued walking. “We shouldn’t be caught near it. Let’s continue moving.” 

It was absolutely baffling to Thomas there was this whole underground system that he was just not aware of. Perhaps Metias was, but Thomas? He’s never even heard of anything of the sort. It made him wonder for how long this has been going on.  
Metias seemed to be more interested in getting the task over and done with. “Do you know where exactly we’re going?” He asked Viv, after they arrived in the slum sector. Most of the day was spent walking all this way, and the sun would set in an hour or so. Thomas just faintly remembered something about vehicles attracting too much attention.  
“I do,” Viv said. Then there was a pause, since she was expected to say more. She didn’t.  
“Well, where _are_ we going then?” Metias tried again.  
“There’s this hotel. Rich thinks Nico is staying there at the moment. He has close ties with the owner. No way to tell if he’s there right now, but it’s a good place to start.” 

Thomas wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting of Lake. Sure, poor living situations. But this exceeded whatever he could have imagined. It was hard to believe that they were still even _in_ the Republic. The worst part was how unfazed Metias was, as if he knew that this has been going on. Then again, he probably did.  
When Viv told them “Here we are,” he nearly thought that it was a joke. The building looked as if it could collapse any moment. There’s no way that this was a hotel. 

She was not joking. Without much hesitation she walked into the building that had an old sign on it, which Thomas did not bother to read. The doors squeaked when they were pushed open. Viv seemed to immediately recognise the receptionist. “Noah!” She called to him, as if greeting an old friend.  
Noah, who seemed to be around Thomas’ age, gave her a tired grin. “Hey, Vivvy. Haven’t seen you in ages. What brings you here?”  
Thomas could see how she cringed at the nickname, though she kept smiling.It was a bit odd to actually see her this happy and warm towards somebody for once. “Business,” she replied. “Rich told me that your boss told him that a certain Nico Tamayo is staying here.” She fished her phone out of her jacket pocket, showing the receptionist the same picture she showed Thomas and Metias yesterday. “Have you seen him?”  
“Sure have,” the receptionist replied. “What’d he do? He seemed like a good fellow.”  
“I don’t have time to get into it, Noah.”  
“You’re not here to kill him, are you? ‘Cus then I’ll be the one cleaning up, and I do not have the stomach to do that again.”  
“Again?” Viv laughed, “This hotel sees more shady business than I thought. No- no. We just need to bring him to Rich. That’s why I got these two with me.” she pointed to Thomas and Metias, who were idly taking in the look of the place.  
“Right. Well, he’s in room 12. Up the stairs, first room to your left.”  
“Thanks, cousin.”  
As soon as Viv left the front desk, her attitude returned to its regular form. “Alright, let’s get this over with. If it goes south, don’t be afraid to just hit his head, hard. Him being unconscious would make the whole thing much easier anyway.” 

The three of them went up the stairs. Sure enough the first room on the left had the number ‘12’ written on it in some sort of permanent marker. Viv knocked.  
No answer.  
She knocked again, “Room service.” she called.  
There was laughter at the other side of the door. “This hotel does not offer room service, but nice try.” 

“That’s it.” She turned around to face Thomas. “Finn,”  
“Yes?”  
“I’m going to need you to kick the door open for me.”  
Thomas just gave her a look. He couldn’t just break into a room, right? “I don’t-.”  
She pulled him down by the collar in an attempt to seem intimidating. Somehow, it worked. “Listen up - you’ll kick the door in, we’ll get Nico, bring him to Rich, and then we’re done. Okay? Then we won’t have to bother with each other anymore. So, please, just help me get this over with.”  
He sighed. It’s not like he wasn’t trained to do this. It was easy to kick open a door, especially one that looked this dainty. “Okay- okay- back off a little.” Viv did as she was told, and with a strategically placed kick, Thomas burst open the door. 

Nico looked just like in the picture; shoulder long hair, beard stubble, olive complexion. He was standing hunched over a small table, and didn’t seem surprised at all to see them in his room. “Of course, Noah ratted me out, didn’t he?” he asked. It was just then that Thomas recognised Nico’s accent as Spanish. 

“Julius, stay on watch in the hall. Finn, with me.” Viv stepped forward. “This ends now, Nico. Rich just wants a discussion with you, then this’ll be over.”  
“Are you serious?” Nico packed up a couple of papers that were lying on the small table. “Rich wants my head, nothing less. I’m a danger to his cause, and he knows it. The smartest move he can make is getting rid of me once and for all, and you’re just an accesory to murder.”  
This really seemed to offend her. “I am _not_! You don’t know anything about me.”  
“They always say that!”  
They continued to back and forth, and Thomas wasn’t quite able to follow all of it. Instead, he glanced around the room to find something large, to throw at Nico’s head if he’d have to. Ideally, something that wouldn’t kill him. Perhaps-.

Thomas’ thoughts got completely interrupted by loud yelling downstairs, followed by a gunshot. The three of them shared an equally panicked look.  
“Julius? What’s going on?” Viv called, making her way towards the hallway. Before she could reach it, Republic soldiers were already there, putting Metias in handcuffs. Thomas couldn’t tear his eyes off the scene. He had a hard time to fully process what was going on. 

Viv swore, then sprung into action, immediately turning around, and grabbing Thomas’ arm. “We need to go, _now_.” She said, pulling him to the open window. Nico was already gone. “Come on, it’s not that high of a jump. The ground is sand, you’ll survive. _Go_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :) I love kudos and comments-
> 
> Support me on Instagram @Amativehoney


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